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An East Village apartment by the Novogratz – A home with a vintage and scholarly air…

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I’m sure most of you by now have heard of the designer husband and wife duo the Novogratz after the widespread popularity of their Rizzoli book, “Downtown Chic”. Well, Rue Mag was awesome enough to feature one of their latest projects, a friend’s small three bedroom, 1 bath apartment in the East Village. It has a sort of vintage, masculine vibe, and I also feel like the space has an academic feel to it.

Not only did they find the perfect rug, they found the perfect *rugs!  Layered vintage oriental rugs give the entire space an “old study” feel.

I’m seriously crushing over those gilt bamboo chairs

The Novogratz used paint to accent certain architectural details

Wall mounted, open shelves like these are a great way to make the most of limited space.


Gotta love french doors for the bedroom

What do you think of this East Village apartment?

All images via Rue Magazine

*disclosure: this post is in partnership with theperfectrug.com

Autumn Inspiration Boards! Fashion and Decor

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I think fall is undoubtedly the best season for fashion. And where there is fabulous fashion, fabulous decor is not far behind. Here are some looks that I am crushing on

Sources, clockwise from top left: Bebe Button Front Coat,  Lamp: Ikea, Valerie Chair – Samantha Drew via Rue Mag,  Floating Feather Ornaments – Dwell Studio ,  Thro Mongolian Lamb Pillow, A&B Home Branches Mirror

Clockwise from top left: Vintage Oushak Rug – Jayson Home & Garden, Ali Kahn Autumn Mix Fringe Earrings , Metal and Glass Cabinet – Haute Look, Crosshatch Decanters – Dwell Studio, Elan Turtleneck Sweater – Ideeli

Loft Coffee Table – One Kings Lane, Invicta Rose Gold Ladies Angel Chronograph Watch – Ideeli, Bellora Round Rug, Chloe

Interior Designer Lori Pepe – Lunché : Relaxed and Beautiful

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The portfolio of Berkeley, CA interior designer Lori Pepe – Lunché evokes several adjectives: relaxed, unstuffy, warm, welcoming, and refreshing. All very good things. Here are a few of my favorite rooms by Lori.

White bedding…I think white bedding is my favorite.  I have lots of printed linens, but I always think my bedroom looks prettiest when my bed is done in all whites…

I adore this bathroom.  The cool slick marble contrasting with the branch sconces and decor is glamorous, but not too overt.

The small Berkeley kitchen below is full of cool storage solutions

How cool are those utensil holders?  I’ve never seen anything like them before.

Check out Lori’s fab blog, Design Salon.

My Summer in Europe – Budapest Part 2

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If you saw my first post covering our trip in Budapest, you know how much I loved it. It is such an amazing city. There were so many photos I wanted to share that I had to break it up into two posts, so here goes again.

The Hungarian Parliament Building is one of Europe’s oldest legislative buildings and the largest building in Hungary.

Aerial views from the top of St. Stephen’s Basilica

A view of Castle Hill – you can see the top of Fisherman’s Bastion

Along with my 10 week backpacking trip with my fiance Chris, I have also done traveling on my own to France and Italy.  Traveling alone is an enjoyable, albeit different experience than traveling with a friend.  Everything is on your scheduled and your preferences.  I think it’s becoming more popular to take single vacations, as more and more places are advertising themselves to the lone traveler.

One of the highlights for me was the stunning, not-to-be-missed Matthias Church.  Unfortunately because of the bright spotlights from the ceiling, and our not-so-great camera, it was hard to capture the beautiful blue of the ceiling.

If you really like these you MUST go to 360 Cities where you can click and drag for a 360 degree, high res. view of the church

Here are some screen grabs from 360 cities.

Here’s that list again of all my posts from our travels that I’ve posted –

Spain

•Introduction to my European backpacking trip and a list of places we visited
• Galicia – Baiona and Isle de Cies
• Galicia – the coast, some charming vineyards, and Pontevedra
• Santiago de Compostela and gorgeous hidden beaches
• Gorgeous mountain lakes of Picos de Europa
• Stunning mountains – Picos de Europa
• Bilbao and San Sebastian
• Beautiful Barcelona
• The amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona
• Art Nouveau dream house by Gaudi in Barcelona

Italy

• Not to miss – the gorgeous rocky coast of Italy’s Cinque Terre
• More from my summer traveling Europe – amazing Rome
• From my summer in Europe – amazing Pompeii
• Turquoise ocean and vineyards on cliffs – the amazingly stunning Amalfi coast
• My Summer in Europe: Pictures from lovely Florence, Italy
• Enchanting Siena
Venice
Lake Como, Italy

Switzerland
Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 1
Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 2

Germany
• One of my favorite cities from my European backpacking trips – Ulm, Germany
• Lake Constance
• Cute HOUSE Overload – the charming medieval homes of Germany’s Romantic Road
• Regensburg, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria  

Austria
• Salzburg
• A charming lakeside village, Hallstatt
Beautiful Vienna
Kunst Haus Wien in Vienna

Hungary
Budapest Part 1

*disclosure: This post is brought to you in partnership with Varvacations.com

Getting cozy inside when it’s stormy out…

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As I’m sure you all know by now, here on the East Coast we are all bracing for Sandy to hit. Schools are closed, offices are closed, and transit is at a halt. There’s no where to go but to stay home, and why not make it as cozy and comfy as possible?

I’d love to know where this house is
We were without power for a whole week this summer, so we’re bracing for the worst this time, and have gathered up all of our candles and filled all of our pots with water.
Nothing says cozy like marshmallows and cocoa.
And of course, park yourself in front of the fire if you are lucky enough to have one…
How do you get cozy?

via: 1. Sweet Home Style 2.  Pinterest, 3. Pinterest 4. Ruffles and Pleats  5. Heart Home 6. Crate and Barrel, 7. Pinterest  8. Project Wedding,  9. Pinterest via A Day That is Desert  10. House Beautiful

Divine Kitchens

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I think kitchens can really tell a lot about a person. Do they cook a lot, are they messy or neat, modern or traditional, are they collectors or purgers…, etc.. Below are some lovelies I’ve pulled together…

I’m not usually a big fan of modern, but the rug and sheers adds softness.

Love the light fixtures, love the backsplash.  Kitchen tiles and flooring tile is really something that makes a huge impact and can’t really be faked.  I’m sure when I’m lucky enough to design my dream kitchen, and floors, I’m going to try and look into every possible money saving option, like buying wholesale tile, click here for an example.

White is my favorite for cabinets.

Wow! 3 chandeliers, that wallpaper, that green island!  It all makes for one pretty and cheerful kitchen.

Sleek and efficient.

I don’t think I’ve seen a kitchen with this much exposed brick.

Definitely the kitchen of a fun-loving, quirky chef.

What does your kitchen say about you?

1. Rue Mag,  2 – 4.  BHG, 6. House Beautiful, 7. Coco & Kelly  5., 8. Desire to Inspire

*disclosure: this post is in partnership with prosourcefloors.com

More cool, cute, and spooky Halloween ideas

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 Such a simple and great idea!! Spray paint a wreath and some rubber snakes and you have a fabulous creepy wreath.  Instructions to make the wriggling snake wreath.

 A cute little Halloween porch

Love these simple but dramatic raven  decorations. The perches are just cardboard tubes painted black, and you can purchase some inexpensive chain at a hardware store.  Here are instructions.

I LOVE these chicken wire yard ghosts!  So creepy.

As a little kid, I loved it when people set up little haunted houses in their garages.  Of course when you have a garage as nice as this, or as a Garaga garage door,  a large grimacing face, or spooky scene looks festive.

One of my favorite ideas – spooky silhouettes in your windows. Instructions here.

And these aren’t necessarily decorations, but they make me smile:

 “The Birds” barbie

Awesome and simple cupcake ideas

SO ADORABLE!  Little Garth and Wayne.

1., 3., 7.  Martha Stewart Living, 2. House of Smiths via Pinterest , 4., 5.  Pinterest  6. via Etsy  8., 9., 10. Pinterest

*disclosure: this post in partnership with Garaga.com

My favorite unique pumpkin decorating ideas

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I am blown away by all the cool and unique ways Country Living has to decorate pumpkins this year.  Below are my favorites:

Découpage Pumpkins

This gourd gets its graphic appeal from Pictorial Webster’s ($35; Chronicle)—a volume filled with cool black-and-white illustrations. Choose your favorite drawings from the book (we used approximately 120 for a medium-size Funkin, or faux pumpkin), then photocopy them onto off-white cover stock paper. Next, carefully tear out each photo-copied image, leaving about half an inch of white space around it. (The rough edges will give your finished product added interest.) Using our découpage technique, cover an entire Funkin with the images, overlapping their edges as you work.

Patterned Pumpkins

You can create all of these nifty designs using acrylic paint and painter’s tape. For a two-tone, dipped look, bisect a pumpkin with a strip of tape (angle the tape for a diagonal effect). Use a foam brush to cover one section of your pumpkin with two coats of acrylic paint, allowing 30 minutes of drying time per coat. Remove the tape and discard. Stop there, or repeat the steps to add another color to your pumpkin. To form chevron stripes—whether two or tons—link short strips of tape to make the zigzag patterns, using our photo as a guide. Use a foam brush to cover your pumpkin with two coats of acrylic paint, allowing 30 minutes of drying time per coat. Remove the tape and discard. Clean up the edges with a cotton swab if necessary. If you’d like the second color to be different than natural pumpkin orange, fill in using a small paintbrush and contrasting acrylic paint, as we did for the black and white pumpkin

Black and White Pumpkins

Savannah stylist Liz Demos skipped the carving knife and went straight for a paintbrush to fashion these graphic pumpkins. “With a stark black-and-white palette,” Demos says of her trio of bold designs, “you can make any pattern, even creepy insects, look downright chic.” HOW-TO For each version, start by brushing the entire pumpkin with a coat of white flat acrylic craft paint ($1.39 for two oz.; createforless.com); let dry for 20 minutes.

 SPIDERWEB 1. Using a black fine-tip paint pen ($2.49; createforless.com), draw a circle around the top of the pumpkin, about two inches from the stem. Keep drawing a continuous line, spiraling around the perimeter of the pumpkin, as shown, until you reach the base. 2. Draw vertical lines in the pumpkin’s crevices, starting from the circle near the stem and going to the bottom. 3. Let the paint dry for 30 minutes, then place one or two plastic spiders ($9 for a pair; areohome.com) on the “web.” 

BEETLE 1. Print the template from countryliving.com/oct-templates. Use a copier to resize the image so it fits your pumpkin. 2. Cut out the stencil as directed on the template and center it on the pumpkin; affix with stencil adhesive ($6.99; stencilease.com). 3. Paint the beetle within the stencil using three coats of black flat acrylic craft paint ($1.39 for two oz.; createforless.com). Let the paint dry for 30 minutes and remove the stencil.

 WOOD GRAIN 1. Mix a small amount of clear glaze ($1.84 for two oz.; createforless.com) with black flat acrylic craft paint. 2. Demos applied this knotty-wood design freehand, but swears even a novice can pull it off. Using a fine-tip brush and this photo as a guide, begin painting several irregular circles around the pumpkin, as shown, spacing them at varying heights. 3. To complete the pattern, fill the rest of the pumpkin’s surface with curving lines. Let the paint dry for 30 minutes.

Moth Decal Pumpkins

The secret to these moth-adorned marvels? Weather-resistant vinyl decals ($1.50 for a three-inch moth, $3 for a six-inch moth; wgwalldecals.com). Show them to their best advantage against white pumpkins: Use a foam brush to cover each pumpkin with two coats of acrylic paint, allowing 30 minutes of drying time per coat, before applying decals.

Veiled Beauty

Part cobweb, part creeping vine, the effect of black lace on painted pumpkins is thoroughly macabre. Begin by painting pumpkins (or faux Funkins, from $18; funkins.com); we opted for Farrow and Ball’s Green Blue. Once they’re dry, use our photo (left) as a guide to cut out pieces of lace; brush matte Mod Podge onto the back sides, and adhere to your pumpkins. Finish by sealing each with a topcoat of Mod Podge.

Which ideas is your favorite?


All images and instructions from Country Living

Antique rugs from around the globe (lots of eye candy!)

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Few items can make an impact on a room like a rug. They do, after all, sometimes take up the most physical space, and can take up the most visual space as well. If you’re lucky enough to start designing a room from scratch, a lot of designers will recommend you chose a rug first, and then pull colors from your chosen rug to use in furniture, accessories, etc.

 I have never been lucky enough to get to start a room from scratch, but I do know how hard it is to make a bold rug work with furniture and decor that you already have. See my struggle and solution here. I love my oriental rug (from Iran) so I made it work, but I would have loved to be able to chose furniture after purchasing the rug as opposed to making my already existing furniture work with my beloved rug.

While my rug is not an antique, and I’m not lucky enough to own any antique oriental rugs (yet), I do like to peruse rug galleries with treasures from all around the globe.

(All of these amazing rugs are from the Nazmiyal Collection in NYC.)

 Here are my favorites from countries around the globe:

From Morocco:

I absolutely adore the textures in these Moroccan rugs …

…and the colors!

Beauties from Isreal

Click on these to see enlarged versions – the detail is amazing.

How amazing (and unique!) are these vintage rugs from the Caucasus regions?

The below are from Spain

*disclosure: This post is in partnership with Nazmiyal Collection

Kitchen Love

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I cook a lot more in the fall and winter, so I’ll be spending a lot more time in the kitchen.  I imagine that in some homes, the kitchen is the most popular room in the house.  Our kitchen is a small galley kitchen, so it’s not suitable for hanging out in, but one day I hope to have a kitchen that opens up to the living room.

This kitchen is simple, but white is my favorite cabinet color, and the light is really nice.

2 above via Apartment Therapy

If you are very good at keeping your items tidy, open shelves can be really attractive, and the open backs don’t hide the eye-catching backsplash.

via Hus & Hem

Talk about amazing kitchen design, all those windows would make you feel like you’re cooking outside year round.

via ?

via Heart Home

via House of Fifty

I like this unique kitchen layout.

via Home Designing

*disclosure: this post brought in partnership with thegoodguyskitchens.com